Yesterday was my friend Paul's birthday. He and his roommate Derek are great friends, former missionary companions (served in Tucson, AZ), and current home teaching companions (they teach me and my roommates). One thing they share in common is a love of puns.

I have always liked puns, but being around these guys has made me really love puns. So...for Paul's birthday, I decided to make him a card based on a pun and give him a list of puns I found on the internet.

The card went something like this (with illistrations and fun lettering Ü):
So it was my birthday. I had a big party, and my friend made me a birhtday cake. He brought it out, and it was a savory cake. It had a doughy base with cheese and all sorts of toppings sprinkled on top. I said, "That must have taken a lot of effort to make." And he said...

(then on the inside...)
... "No, it was a pizza cake."

Heee heeee heeee! Ü

A couple of my favorites:
* A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption.
* He said I was average - but he was just being mean.
* When the smog lifts in Los Angeles, U C L A.

If you want to read some more fun ones, check out http://www.punoftheday.com/

I was looking at some books online the other day (big surprise there, I know Ü), and I found this excerpt from a book that looks really great... Dad: The Man Who Lied to Save the Planet, 12 Timeless Virtues Handed Down to a Son by an Everyday Dad (by James Michael Pratt). The excerpt was printed in Mormon Life in an article entitled "It's Better to Be Kind Than to Be Right." I really enjoyed reading it, and it shares a great message. If you would like to read it too, just click on the link below.



"It's Better to Be Kind Than to Be Right"

Well, today I left work a couple hours early and went with my Dad down to the DMV. I filled out the paperwork and then began the wait for the driving test. Finally my name was called and I went outside to take the test. I did well in the preliminary test (u-turn and 3-point turn...harder than it looks in a big Suburban beast), and then waited my turn for the drive with the judge. I actually started up the conversation with the judge, and my drive went smoothly. I was most worried about parking at the end, but that turned out just fine. I got out of the car with a big smile and a signature on my paper saying I could have a driver's license! Happy Day Ü !

My roommate Shae shared this with me this morning, and I thought I would pass it along to all of you. ?ú


The local bar was so sure that its bartender was the strongest man around that they offered a standing $1000 bet: The bartender would squeeze a lemon until all the juice ran into a glass, and hand the lemon to a patron. Anyone who could squeeze one more drop of juice out would win the money.

Many people had tried over time (professional wrestlers, longshoremen, etc.), but nobody could do it.

One day this scrawny little man came in, wearing thick glasses and a polyester suit, and said in a tiny, squeaky voice, "I'd like to try the bet."

After the laughter had died down, the bartender agreed, grabbed a lemon, and squeezed away. Then he handed the dried, wrinkled remains of the rind to the little man.

But the crowd's laughter turned to total silence as the man clenched his fist around the lemon and SIX drops fell into the glass.

As the crowd cheered, the bartender paid the $1000, and asked the little man, "What do you do for a living? Are you a lumberjack, a weight lifter, or what?"

The man replied, "I work for the IRS."

Hee hee hee! ?ú

Here is a message from Elder Free:

Hey everyone! Things are just great here in Steven’s Point Wisconsin. I just thought i would let you all know how to write me.

email: jopes@myldsmail.net

mail: Elder Joseph Free
1650 Clark St. #7
Stevens Point WI 54481
This will be my address for a while, i will let you know when it changes. I love all of you.

Hey, I just got back from participating in the 2005 Rex Lee Run. Note my running companion safely tucked away in my pocket. ?ú (yeah for iPods!) After finishing the race, they give you a little white card with the unofficial results on it. Mine says:

I was right behind the girl who got first in my category (and her younger brother--probably about Daniel's age). Not bad for the walking/jogging/running I did! It was really fun. I think my favorite part was sprinting at the end. I think I am probably more of a sprinter than a distance runner, and more of a speed walker than a runner (most of my friends say I walk too fast).

Here is Joseph’s mailing address…

ELDER JOSEPH JAMISON FREE
MTC Mailbox #150
WI-MIL 0323
2005 N. 900 E.
Provo, Utah 84604-1793

His estimated departure date is March 23rd.

On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to go with my brother as he entered the MTC! Uncle Ric and I (and Taylor) picked Elder Free (Jopes) up from the airport in the morning and then drove back to Highland. We all talked for a bit and Joseph had some breakfast. Then we (Uncle Ric, Aunt Jodie, Eric, Matthew, Taylor, Joseph and I) all drove to Provo. We stopped at the Krispy Kreme in Orem and got some doughnuts (Mmmmm) which we ate in the parking lot across from the MTC. Then we walked over and got his luggage stowed away before going in the main doors where two nice ladies made sure his suit pocket was all ready for his tag. Then he got his cool missionary tag with the fun ‚Äúcelestial spot‚Äù (as the mission pres. called it) on it. This dot shows everyone that he is a newbie. ?ú Then we all sat in a chapel where they had an Orientation and then the family memebers walked out of one door, while the missionaries walked out of the other. We are all so happy for Joseph!!!

For the month of February, my ward was combined with another ward for FHE activities. Each group from my ward was paired up with group from the other ward, and together we were to create a movie. Each group was given a different genre of movie to make, and my group ended up with WESTERN. I think we totally lucked out with that! On the 26th of Feb, we got together for a combined ward party and had an “Academy Awards” of sorts. We had dinner (sub sandwiches) and watched all of the 5-7 min videos and then had popcorn and played a trivia game while the judges made their decisions. Oh, yeah, there was a list of about 15 things that if included in your movie would give you extra points. We got all but 3-4 of them. Anyway, our movie ended up turning out really great and we tied for BEST PICTURE! (I think we won because they asked the audience to vote between the two and there were more votes for our film…but the person in charge didn’t want to announce one way or the other and told us to fight it out.) We also won BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS & EDITING. Anyway, I have a copy of the DVD we made (see pict of it with its cool label and everything) which has the option of playing it “Old Western” style (sepia tone) or in regular color. By the way, it is a silent movie with cool saloon/cowboy music in the background. Too fun!